420 
NOTES ON EGYPTIAN ARTILLERY. 
Service. 
Battery 
practice. 
General ob¬ 
servations. 
Equipment. 
Enlistment is by conscription. Length of service with the colours, 
6 years. No specially enlisted drivers. Height of gunners 1*73 
metres = 5 ft. 8 ins. Chest measurement, 94 centimetres = 37 inches. 
The facilities for battery practice are very great. At any time, with 
comparatively little trouble and precaution, batteries can go out into 
the desert and fire live shell. The result is that officers and men 
become experts at judging distances, and range-finding is found to be 
of little use. The officers—English and Egyptian—are unanimous in 
their preference for their gun as a range-finder in the place of the 
orthodox range-finding instruments. 
“Observation of fire,” owing to the nature of the country, the mirage, 
and the absence of prominent landmarks, is difficult to carry out. 
This applies equally to range-finding. Signalling is little used. 
The marching order parade of the Horse and Field Battery and the 
Garrison Battery now stationed at Cairo was in January last, from every 
point of view, as excellent as any parade show of British Artillery. 
The physique of the men was as good as that of the gunners of our 
Horse batteries, the Arab horses appeared in hard condition, the mules 
and camels fit to go at any moment, and all the officers keen, zealous 
and eager for further active service. 
The horsemanship of the N.C.O. and men of the mounted batteries, 
and the marching power of the foot gunners were specially noticeable. 
The section here shewn is that of a bank and ditch crossed by the 
Horse battery in line when moving to a flank to come into action 
in a new position—two pair of wheelers came down, but soon regained 
their places in line. 
The Egyptians make good gunners, judging from their reported 
conduct at the actions of Hogeen and Toski—800 yards was an ordi¬ 
nary range for the guns in action. Five case were expended in this 
action of Toski. 
In the matter of general equipment nothing is noticeable, more than 
that the kits of the men and camp equipment of the batteries were very 
much less bulk than in our batteries—accounted for by the smaller 
wants of the men and the temperate climate of the country. 
Pole draught is admirably suited to the country—no complaints of 
bruised ankles and shin bones from the wheel drivers, such as you hear 
from the wheel drivers at home. This is due to greater play between 
the driver's leg and the pole, on account of the smaller type of horses 
in Egypt. 
